Dunbar and Cutler Applaud House Action on Results First Act to Continue Conversation on Reinventing Government

5/23/2017

HARRISBURG – Co-sponsored by Reps. George Dunbar (R-Westmoreland) and Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), the Results First Act (House Bill 599), which would provide the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) with legal authority to obtain data and analyze the effectiveness of government assistance programs, was advanced by the state House on Monday for the second consecutive legislative session.

“Passage of the Results First Act allows us to continue the discussion that Majority Leader Dave Reed started a few months ago in terms of reinventing a government that has basically looked the same in Pennsylvania for the past 40 to 50 years,” said Dunbar, who serves as vice chairman of both the House Appropriations and Finance committees. “The Pew MacArthur Results First Initiative, made possible through House Bill 599, is a proven outcome-based measurement system that would greatly assist the state Legislature in identifying which government assistance programs work and which do not. By engaging in this partnership, we can foster greater transparency in government funding, while simultaneously empowering providers to deliver services that actually help lift individuals out of poverty.”

Once enacted, House Bill 599 would allow the Independent Fiscal Office to gather the data from various state agencies and input the collected information into Pew’s Results First Matrix model. Pew would also be authorized to train existing IFO employees on the Results First matrix model and work in tandem with them to analyze and calculate long-term costs paid by taxpayers and the benefits achieved by these costs across multiple government programs.

The results of the calculations would then be published in an easy-to-read online portal allowing policymakers and the general public the ability to see the original intent and history of the program, as well as the overall effectiveness for each program.

“By researching and making public information regarding the costs and benefits of each program, we would be able to determine how to best invest taxpayer money – rather than funding programs that help only a small number of Commonwealth Citizens,” Cutler said. “It’s about allocating money for the programs that really work.”

House Bill 599 now advances to the state Senate for consideration.
Representative George Dunbar
56th District
Representative Bryan Cutler
100th Legislative District
Media Contact: Ty McCauslin
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